Race 10 - Day 23
Crew Diary - Race 10 Day 23: Seattle to Panama
23 May

Michael Miller
Michael Miller
Team Sanya Serenity Coast
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Another one about animals

What a difference 5000 miles makes. On that side of the Pacific Ocean, we came across virtually no sea life at all, and millions of fishing boats trying to chase down what little was left. On this side, however, there are no fishermen at all, and the same Pacific Ocean is absolutely teeming with life.

And now, as we cruise gently south eastwards toward the entrance of the Panama Canal, in full holiday mode now that the racing has finished, we have had plenty of time to appreciate it. The final finish, at the second virtual gate, was extraordinarily exciting, as, in extremely fickle and difficult wind conditions, boats approached from different directions, at different wind angles, with different sail plans, to all finish within minutes of each other, just after dark. A testament to the skill and perseverance of all the sailors. The obligatory hugs, combined with massive water spraying (in lieu of champagne) followed, and then everyone collapsed, as the stress of racing was lifted, and we could all start to contemplate the important things in life, such as cold beer, warm showers and comfy beds. It is a bit of a cliche, I know, and I am, I am sure, not the first person to write about it, but you can not deny how much it dominates conversation and thoughts, both sleeping and waking!

So now, after three long days of hard winding down, sleeping, reading, sleeping, gossiping, sleeping, laughing, sleeping etc. I am now finally in some sort of state to appreciate the natural marvels of this beautiful place. Dolphins are so plentiful that no one even looks up any more. They come in ones and twos, sidling up to have a quick look, a quick wiggle and a huff and puff before wandering off. They come in squadrons, when the sea in the distance seems to boil, and, then, as they come closer, they resolve into a mass of individuals, leaping vertically, doing barrel rolls, or just hurdling over the surface in groups. Manta rays tend to follow, helpfully leaping majestically twice in the same place, allowing those that missed it the first time the opportunity to grab their cameras. For those who prefer their wildlife a little more sedate, the surface of the electric blue sea is covered with floating rocks that roll over and gently wave a flipper if one gets within a few feet. As well as entertaining us with these crazy antics, the turtles also seem to provide a convenient landing spot for the many red-footed boobies that cruise these parts.

When not landing on the turtles these rather dopey looking birds, that seem completely unafraid of humans, have made a rookery on our bowsprit. They are pretty big birds, about two feet long with a four foot wingspan, and they crowd about ten at a time on our 10 foot steel prodder. They sit there, like stroppy teenagers outside McDonald’s, preening themselves and jockeying for space. Every so often another tries to muscle in, approaching like a fighter towards the back of an aircraft carrier, flaring up and extending its bright red webbed feet, with much squawking, and tries to squeeze into an impossible space. It usually ends with either the new bird or several of the current residents flopping off and almost falling into the sea at the bow, before wheeling away to plan their counter attack. Occasionally a flying fish makes an appearance, scared into activity by the approaching mass of CV27, and all the birds rouse themselves into frantic action and dive, usually unsuccessfully, after their piscine quarry.

We have also spotted a couple of whales, the occasional container ship, and our ever present companion, Unicef. We have been taking turns to tow each other when the wind dies to preserve fuel, and swap over times are always great fun, involving the transfer of bags of wine gums, pineapple chunks - a strange New Zealand made sweet that tastes a great deal nicer than it sounds - and water jerries to share resources. There is a great camaraderie amongst all the boats as we edge our way slowly towards our refueling stop in Costa Rica, with its promise of cold beer, and the chance to step, albeit briefly, onto dry land for the first time in weeks!